As per various reports, the final choice of being retained or not is likely to remain with the player before IPL 2022. A player might either want to play for a different franchise or could arrive at a conclusion that his salary would increase if he is at the auctions. Hence, a couple of cricketers might give away the chance of being retained before the auctions. In this article, we take a look at three players who could opt out of being retained by their respective franchises before IPL 2022.
1) KL Rahul
There is growing speculation that KL Rahul is one of the players who could opt out of being retained by their respective franchises before IPL 2022. The Punjab Kings co-owners recent comments have hinted that discussions in that regard are already in place. KL Rahul has been the best Indian batsman in recent IPL seasons and also led Punjab Kings in the last two campaigns.
To play for his home-franchise Royal Challengers Bangalore could be on the mind for KL. RCB is looking for a replacement to Virat Kohli after the player stepped down as the captain. KL would be the ideal option in this scenario. Another reason is that KL might want to play at a different team where he can play his natural game. In Punjab, he has to adjust his game due to a fragile middle-order.
2) Shreyas Iyer
A few recent reports have suggested that Shreyas Iyer wants to part ways with Delhi Capitals. Iyer has reached the stage in his career where he would want to captain the side and also form the fulcrum point of the batting line-up. With Rishabh Pant in the team, that may not be possible at Delhi for Iyer.
The franchise would naturally be inclined towards Pant, who is a home-grown player. Pant is also an individual whose fanbase is increasing every day. Also, Iyer will earn higher at a different franchise since he will be the second retention after Pant in Delhi. Hence, he might leave the franchise.
3) Ravindra Jadeja
Ravindra Jadeja is the first captaincy option for Chennai Super Kings if MS Dhoni retires. However, if MSD continues, Jaddu will have to wait for his chance. He will then also be the second-choice retention for the franchise.
On the other hand, though, Jadeja could be tempted to play for the Ahmedabad franchise, which will be based out of his home state. He will mostly be the captain there and is also likely to become the face of the franchise. Hence, even Jaddu might think of opting out of being retained.
